Most golfers have a tough time figuring out what to do with their hips in the swing. A lot of us end up sliding or swaying instead of turning, and that lateral movement just saps power and makes things inconsistent. It's frustrating,one day you stripe it, the next you're chunking and losing distance.
Hip turn and hip slide are totally different animals: rotation versus translation. A good hip turn means you're rotating around your spine, staying inside an invisible cylinder, while sliding is just your hips shifting sideways, away from or toward the target. Once you get this, weight transfer and loading start to make more sense.
You don't have to freeze up and get stiff to fix hip slide. You can actually teach your pelvis to rotate the right way, building power and keeping things stable throughout the swing.
Key Takeaways
- Hip turn = rotation around your spine; hip slide = lateral movement away from your center
- Real weight transfer happens by rotating the upper body, not sliding hips back and forth
- Training the right pelvis movement ditches the slide and brings more power and consistency
Hip Turn vs. Sway: Defining the Movements
Knowing the difference between hip turn and hip sway is huge for learning how to load up properly in your golf swing. They're not the same thing, and they serve different purposes when it comes to generating power and keeping your balance.
What Is a Hip Turn?
Hip turn is all about rotating your hips around your spine. Imagine your pelvis spinning like a wheel around a pole.
On the backswing, your hips turn away from the target, building coil and tension for power.
During the downswing, your hips start rotating back toward the target before your shoulders do. That's the kinetic chain at work—energy moving from the ground, up through your body.
What good hip turn looks like:
- Your spine angle stays steady
- You get separation between hips and shoulders
- You build rotational power
- You stay centered over the ball
The hips rotate in place. Your belt buckle points in new directions, but it doesn't wander off from where you started.
Understanding Hip Sway and Hip Slide
Hip sway is the side-to-side shifting of your hips in the swing. Instead of rotating, your pelvis just moves left and right.
Tour players barely sway at all in the backswing. If you sway too far away from the target, expect mishits and a power drain.
Hip slide is the hips moving toward the target in the downswing. It's not the same as sway—slide is usually more intentional, but it still needs to be controlled.
Sway vs. Slide:
- Sway: Usually happens on the backswing, uncontrolled
- Slide: Happens in the downswing, ideally a small, controlled move toward target
If you look at the numbers, pros move their hips maybe 2-3 inches toward the target on the downswing. That little bit of slide helps get you into the right impact position and swing path.
Hip Turn and Sway in the Golf Swing
Both hip turn and a bit of controlled hip movement have a place in a solid swing. The trick is knowing when and how much to use.
In the backswing, you want mostly hip rotation and hardly any sway. That way, you load up without drifting away from the ball.
The downswing is a blend. Your hips start to slide a touch toward the target as they rotate back through impact.
A rough sequence:
- Backswing: All about hip turn, keep sway tiny
- Transition: A little hip slide starts
- Downswing: Slide continues, rotation ramps up
- Impact: Hips have slid a bit, rotation is maxed out
The idea is “loading without sliding.” You’re winding up with rotation and staying stable for better contact.
Weight Shift: The Key to Loading Properly
Getting the weight shift right is the foundation for strong, reliable ball striking. You want to load energy into your trail side on the backswing, but the trick is to do it by rotating, not by shifting sideways.
How Weight Shift Differs from Hip Slide
Weight shift and hip slide are worlds apart. Weight shift happens through rotation—you turn your hips and shoulders, and pressure moves to your trail foot’s heel.
Hip slide is just the hips drifting away from the ball, which messes up your swing center and leads to mishits.
Picture standing in a big barrel when you set up. All your lower body movement should stay inside that barrel. That old Ben Hogan idea keeps you from sliding out of position.
Good weight shift keeps your spine at the center. You’re not moving your mass sideways; you’re just letting pressure shift as you rotate.
Watch your trail knee. With proper weight shift, it stays over or inside its starting spot. If it drifts way outside, you’re sliding.
Proper Weight Transfer in the Backswing
Weight transfer in the backswing needs a certain rhythm. You start at address with 50/50 weight on both feet.
As you take the club back, you rotate your shoulders and hips, and you’ll feel the weight move to your trail heel. You don’t have to force it—it just happens with the turn.
By the top, about 70-80% of your weight is on the trail side. If you’re over that, you’re probably sliding.
The trail hip moves in an arc—back and up—not just straight back. Imagine your hip drawing a curve, not a line.
Your upper body coils over a steady lower base. Your head might move a bit with your spine, but if it’s sliding sideways a lot, something’s off.
Loading Into the Trail Leg Without Swaying
To load into your trail leg, feel the pressure shift to your trail heel as you rotate. You want your trail hip to move back and around, not just back.
It should feel like you’re sitting a little into that trail hip socket. That’s the loaded feeling, not the swaying one.
Your trail knee is a great checkpoint. It should move slightly in and back, not out and away from your body. That inward move keeps your swing center solid.
Try the “barrel drill”—set alignment sticks or clubs outside both legs at address and make backswings without bumping them.
Or hit balls with your trail foot up on a board or tee. That makes sliding almost impossible, so you have to rotate to load up.
Hip Turn in the Backswing
Hip turn in the backswing lays the groundwork for power and solid contact. If you rotate your hips the right way and avoid sliding, you’ll start hitting the ball cleaner.
Initiating the Backswing With Hip Rotation
Start the backswing by moving your trail hip back and up, not sliding it sideways. It’s almost like stepping your right hip back away from the ball.
Aim for about 45 degrees of hip rotation at the top. That gives you enough coil between hips and shoulders without losing your footing.
Feel the pressure building in your trail leg, but keep it on the inside of your foot. If you’re rolling onto the outside edge, you’re sliding.
Checkpoints for good hip rotation:
- Trail hip goes back, not sideways
- Pressure stays inside the trail foot
- Hip turn tops out around 45 degrees
- Upper body coils against the hips
Rotating like this gives your arms space to swing. When the hips turn right, the downswing falls into place more easily.
Common Backswing Mistakes and Fixes
The big mistake? Sliding your hips instead of rotating. That sway makes it tough to get back to the ball the same way every time.
Sliding usually shows up as:
- Hitting behind the ball
- Losing balance at the top
- Inconsistent strikes
- Weak shots
To fix it, try the wall drill. Stand a couple inches from a wall and turn your trail hip back until it touches the wall in the backswing.
Some folks go the other way and lock their hips down, thinking it adds stability. Actually, that just kills your power and can hurt your back.
You want controlled rotation, not a freeze. Hips should turn about half as much as your shoulders to build separation and torque for the downswing.
Proper Hip Movement in the Downswing
The downswing needs sharp hip mechanics—more rotation, less sliding. Turn your hips open in the right sequence to build power and stay consistent.
Transitioning With Hip Turn, Not Slide
Starting the downswing right means shifting weight to your front side, but not by sliding. Feel the pressure move into your lead foot, but keep your upper body centered.
It’s all about rotation, not translation. Instead of shoving your hips at the target, turn them open. That gets the lower body leading, upper body following.
Sliding mistakes look like:
- Hips shift sideways without turning
- Trail hip pushes toward the ball
- Early extension creeps in
Think of opening a door—lead hip rotates out of the way, not forward. Trail hip stays back while lead hip clears.
When you rotate, your torso, arms, and club can all sequence properly. If you slide, you break the chain and lose both power and accuracy.
Controlling Hip Action for Ball-Striking Consistency
If you want to strike the ball well, you need to manage your hips through impact. Keep your pelvis moving, don’t let it stall or spin out.
The lead hip should keep turning back and up into impact. That gives your arms room and keeps you out of that jammed “stuck” spot.
Good hip control means:
- Trail hip stays back in transition
- Lead hip clears steadily
- Rotation continues through impact
- No stalling or rushing the hips
If the hips stop at impact, your hands and arms take over, and contact gets spotty. Keep the rotation going so your upper body follows through naturally.
Ground pressure matters here. Feel like you’re pushing off the ground with your lead foot to drive that rotation. That’s where the snap comes from.
Training Hip Turn Without Sliding or Swaying
If you want to turn your hips and not slide, you need some focused practice and a few go-to drills. Tweak your setup, use the right exercises, and work on mobility to get that powerful rotation.
Best Drills to Eliminate Hip Slide
The “barrel drill” is a classic. Picture yourself inside a big barrel—rotate, don’t slide.
Try the Doorway Drill:
- Put your trail foot against a doorframe
- Make practice swings, keeping contact with the frame
- If you slide, you’ll lose contact right away
The mirror drill works too. Stand in front of a mirror, no club needed, and make slow swings. Watch your belt buckle—if it wanders, you’re sliding.
Timing the weight shift is key. Start the downswing by rotating your lead hip toward the target—not by sliding. The weight will find your front foot through rotation.
For instant feedback, put a golf ball under the outside of your trail foot. If you slide, you'll lose contact.
Creating a Stable Setup for Rotation
Setup makes a difference. Athletic posture means feet about shoulder-width, knees flexed just enough to feel balanced.
Weight should be about 50-50 at address, spine tilted slightly away from the target. That’s your base for rotation.
| Setup Element | Correct Position | Common Error |
|---|---|---|
| Foot Width | Shoulder-width apart | Too narrow/wide |
| Knee Flex | Slight athletic bend | Over-bent or locked |
| Weight | Balanced 50-50 | Too much on heels/toes |
Hip alignment is easy to overlook. Keep your hips square to the target line—don’t flare them out. Flared hips encourage sliding.
You want to feel grounded through your feet but loose enough to rotate. Think of your lower body as a steady base that can pivot, not a sliding platform.
Exercises to Improve Hip Mobility
Hip internal rotation exercises go right after those physical limits that make us slide instead of turn. Seated hip rotations loosen up the range of motion we need for a better golf swing.
The 90-90 stretch is a classic for hip mobility:
- Sit down, bend both legs at 90-degree angles
- Lean forward over each leg, switching sides
- Hold for about 30 seconds per side
Standing hip circles get your joints warm and help your body feel rotation. Just slow, controlled circles in both directions before you hit balls.
Resistance band work fires up the muscles that rotate your hips. Loop a band above your knees and practice rotating against it—simple, but it burns.
Deep squats with a twist blend rotation and weight shift. Drop into a squat, then rotate your torso left and right. It teaches your body to separate upper and lower movement—trickier than it sounds.
Benefits of Hip Turn for Power and Consistency
Cracking the code on hip rotation (instead of sliding) gives you two massive perks: faster clubhead speed thanks to better energy flow, and steadier contact that sends the ball where you actually want it.
Generating More Clubhead Speed
Hip rotation works like a wound-up spring in your swing. Turn your hips about 45 degrees on the backswing, and you’re loading up energy to unleash on the way down.
It all starts with the ground. Your weight shifts from right foot to left as your hips rotate toward the target. That’s the “kinetic chain”—energy moving up from your legs, through your body, and out to the club.
Internal hip rotation is the magic ingredient for transferring power. If you rotate (not slide), you keep your spine angle and build resistance between shoulders and hips.
Imagine winding a rubber band: the more your hips coil against your shoulders, the more energy you’ve got stored. When your hips lead the way on the downswing, that energy zips through your arms and into the club.
Slide your hips instead of turning them and you’ll bleed off a ton of clubhead speed. Sliding forces you to compensate, which just kills your power.
Achieving Solid Contact and Better Ball Flight
A good hip turn keeps you centered over the ball. Rotate around your spine, don’t sway off it, and you’ll return to impact in the same spot every time.
Hip rotation clears a path for your arms—no traffic jam. That’s how you get hands leading the clubhead and compress the ball against the turf.
Consistent hip turn equals consistent ball striking. No need to time a side-to-side slide—just rotate and let your swing bring you back to the ball.
Sequence is huge. Start your downswing with hip rotation toward the target, and your arms drop right where they need to. That’s where that pure, solid “click” comes from.
If you slide, your swing’s low point moves all over the place. Fat shot, thin shot—who knows. But with proper hip rotation, your impact position stays put.
Common Hip Turn and Slide Myths Debunked
Plenty of instructors say “eliminate hip slide entirely,” but the truth? Pros actually use a mix of both. The real question isn’t slide or turn, but how much of each and when.
Dispelling the "No Slide" Myth in Pro Swings
How many times have you heard “don’t slide your hips!” shouted on the range? Honestly, that advice has muddied the waters for a lot of amateurs.
Tour players do use lateral hip movement for power. The trick is in the timing and amount—not just sliding for the sake of it.
If you watch closely, pros move their hips 2-4 inches toward the target during the downswing. It’s not random; it’s a controlled move that helps create vertical force against the ground.
Benefits of a controlled hip slide:
- Adds linear velocity
- Helps you get the right spine tilt
- Lets you shift weight forward
- Sets up a solid base for rotation
The myth comes from watching amateurs who slide too much and forget to rotate. If you only slide and don’t turn, you lose rotational power and mess up your club path.
Let’s ditch the black-and-white thinking. Elite players blend slide and turn, and the magic is in the mix.
How Tour Players Really Use Hip Movement
Pros use a “slide-then-turn” move that most amateurs never quite get. This pattern lets them harness both linear and rotational power.
It starts with a subtle lateral bump as the downswing begins. Golf Digest has measured this—usually 3-4 inches toward the target—before rotation takes over.
What the pros do:
- Small lateral bump (first 20% of downswing)
- Quick hip rotation kicks in (middle 30%)
- Max rotation at impact (final 50%)
Players with higher hands at the top need more initial slide to sync arms and body. Lower hands? They can rotate sooner.
But here’s the thing: pros never just slide. Their hips brace on the lead side, then rotate hard through impact.
Amateurs often either slide all the way through or just spin from the top with no weight shift. Both moves zap your power and accuracy—nothing like what tour players do.
Frequently Asked Questions
Golfers everywhere wrestle with hip movement—how to stop swaying, how to safely add speed, which drills work, and what exercises actually help. Here’s what’s worked for us and others.
What's a solid drill to eliminate the dreaded sway from my golf swing?
Try the wall drill. Stand with a wall about two inches behind your heels at address.
On the backswing, turn your trail hip up and into the wall. Keep pressure on the inside of your trail foot—don’t let it roll out.
As you transition, slide your trail hip toward the target, still keeping it close to the wall. Move just 3-5 inches forward.
Through impact, turn your lead hip into the wall with a bit more oomph. This teaches you rotation, not sliding.
Another good one is the ball toss drill. Grab a softball-sized ball, make practice swings, and keep the ball hidden behind you from the target’s view.
Can cranking up the swing speed cause injury, and how do I rev it up safely?
Absolutely—if you chase speed too fast, you can hurt yourself. Ramp up gradually over a few weeks.
Start swinging at about 70% effort and focus on the right sequence. Let your hips start the downswing, then your torso, then arms.
Each week, bump up the effort by 5-10%—but if your form slips, back off.
Warming up matters. Spend 10-15 minutes on dynamic stretches and easy swings before going all out.
And really, listen to your body. Sharp pain or nagging soreness means you’re overdoing it.
Looking to increase your swing rotation? Any top exercises I should know about?
Hip flexor stretches are a must for better rotation. The 90/90 stretch gets both internal and external hip rotation at once.
Thoracic spine mobility is huge. Try seated spinal twists—hold for 30 seconds each way.
Medicine ball throws help with rotational power. Stand sideways to a wall and throw, focusing on starting with your hips.
Resistance bands build core stability. Attach a band at waist height and work on rotating against resistance.
Dead bugs? Odd name, great for core. Lie on your back, alternate opposite arm and leg movements.
Does anyone have a killer golf workout routine to share? I'm talking real game-changers here!
Here’s a routine we like: 30-45 minutes mixing mobility, strength, and power. Start with 10 minutes of dynamic warm-ups—leg swings, arm circles, that sort of thing.
Next, 15 minutes of strength: squats, deadlifts, planks. Don’t go too heavy; just nail the form.
Add 10 minutes of rotational power—medicine balls or resistance bands. Explosive reps build swing speed.
Wrap up with 10 minutes of static stretching for hips, shoulders, and upper back. Hold each one 30-45 seconds.
Try to hit this 2-3 times a week in the off-season, maybe 1-2 when you’re playing more.
Hey golfers, what are your go-to stretches to keep you limber all the way to the 18th hole?
Hip circles are easy between holes—just stand and make big circles both ways.
Trunk twists keep your spine loose. Hold a club across your shoulders, rotate left and right.
Figure-4 stretch hits tight hips. Sit, cross one ankle over the other knee, lean forward gently.
Shoulder blade squeezes fight the hunch from putting. Pull your blades together and hold.
Calf raises help blood flow on long rounds. Rise up on your toes, lower slowly, repeat.
Is it possible for too much hip turn in the backswing to mess with my shot, or is that just a myth?
Too much hip turn in the backswing can mess with your shots. When you rotate your hips excessively, you lose the stretch between your hips and shoulders, so you can't store as much power.
Overdoing the rotation also throws off your downswing sequence. If your hips don't get a head start, timing gets tricky.
Aim for about 45 degrees of hip turn in the backswing, with your shoulders turning closer to 90 degrees. That separation is where the real power lives.
If you notice your hips turning way too much, try keeping your trail knee flexed and your weight on the inside of your trail foot. It helps.
Give the wall drill a shot—stand so your trail hip just brushes the wall during your backswing. You want to feel that contact, but don't shove your hip into the wall.